TORN

"Torn" is a song by the band Ednaswap from their debut album Ednaswap (1995). It was their second single from that album, after "Glow". "Torn" was written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, Rusty Anderson and Phil Thornalley during a demo session in 1991 before Ednaswap was formed. The lyrics were written by Preven while the guitar parts were arranged by Anderson. Thornalley produced the session. In 1997, it was covered famously by Natalie Imbruglia after having been covered by Scandinavian singers Lis Sørensen in 1993, and Trine Rein in 1996.

In 1997, Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia covered the song for her debut album Left of the Middle. Released as a single, Imbruglia's version became a worldwide hit. At the time of its release, U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart rules did not allow airplay-only songs to chart, so the song was prevented from achieving a high position on that chart despite remaining atop the Hot 100 Airplay chart for eleven weeks.

Imbruglia's version is very soft, with a dance beat throughout. Of all the versions of the song, it is the most pop-oriented and is said, by co-writer Anne Preven, to be sung in a "lobotomized" fashion. The main difference between this version and Trine Rein's version is that Natalie repeats the word "Torn" several times before the end of verses. Natalie Imbruglia also did an MTV Unplugged version of the song, which removed the outro. Preven and the other band members have at times expressed dissatisfaction that their versions of the song went unnoticed while Imbruglia's was picked up with the backing of major label promotion.

For the track, Natalie Imbruglia received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, losing to Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". The music video for "Torn" features British actor Jeremy Sheffield.

The Natalie Imbruglia version was recorded in Kilburn, London with David Munday (Lead Guitar), Phil Thornalley (Bass, Rhythm Guitars), Chuck Sabo (Drums), Henry Binns, Sam Hardaker (Zero Seven) (Drum Programming) and Katrina Leskanich (Background vocals). It was mixed by Nigel Godrich.

The beauty of this song is that though it is a scary place to be emotionally, it asks us to look within ourselves to find the way. There are NO maps; we MUST go on instinct, relying on our inner compass to show us which way to go. This is scary because so much seems to be riding on the fear that we might have gone too far in the wrong direction, or become paralyzed and make no progress at all. And yet, this is the very challenge we need to develop imperfect pristine life. This forces us to TRUST that the universe will support and guide us. We may believe this emotionally, but it is only through being torn that we can be okay with being lost and trusting that we will be whole again.